• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

2

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948

1

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

2

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948

Blue Jeans raises $50 million to revolutionize videoconferencing

By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 18, 2013, 11:30 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

FORTUNE — Blue Jeans Networks this morning announced that it has raised a whopping $50 million in VC funding, to help expand its cloud-based, system-agnostic videoconferencing business. In other words, one videoconference participant could be using a Cisco telepresence system while another uses Skype while another uses just a basic browser.

Battery Ventures led the round, and was joined by existing shareholders Accel Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Norwest Venture Partners.

So we spent some time on the phone with Battery partner Roger Lee, who led the firm’s investment. What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation.

FORTUNE: There are a number of cloud-based videoconferencing startups that have raised VC funding. Why are you backing Blue Jeans?

Lee: The reality is that we’ve become enchanted with Blue Jeans as a user of the product. We use a Cisco videoconferencing system in our offices, but every couple of weeks we were having breakdowns. If we were just using our room-based system, it was fine. Or if everyone was in one of our three offices it was fine. But if someone came in remotely via an iPad, or on Skype from a hotel room, we had trouble.

We tested a few different options and found Blue Jeans worked the best. So we began rolling it out more and more through different use cases within Battery. So we began to really know the company as a customer which led to the investment, and my passion for the business is borne out of my own pain and suffering using other systems.

Why won’t a large incumbent like Cisco (CSCO) or Polycom (PLCM) just begin offering a similar, cloud-based service?

I think it’s a different business model. Those companies do a very good job selling very high-end equipment for room-based systems. If a Fortune 500 company is looking to outfit a conference or presentation room, telepresence apps will do a nice job. But if you need to outfit that room to handle hundreds of concurrent sessions or multiple conference rooms in various locations, then the existing telepresence solutions either break down or become prohibitively expensive. After all, you can’t put that type of hardware in every room without burning lots of money.

Blue Jeans is offering cloud economics here. It’s the same rationale businesses use when deploying servers or storage via Amazon (AMZN) Web Services. I can buy everything and do it myself, but it doesn’t make financial sense.

But isn’t the AWS user more like the Skype or Google (GOOG) Hangouts user, basically opting for the cheapest solution?

Some are, so perhaps it’s not a perfect analogy. But the reality with videoconferencing is that today’s businesses have multiple people on multiple platforms. Kind of similar to the voice world. Could you imagine a conference call where only people using Androids could participate, while people with iPhones were unable to connect? For videoconferencing, Blue Jeans removes that complexity. The hardware being used at the endpoint becomes irrelevant to participation and collaboration. And you’re only paying per usage.

This is the company’s fourth round of outside funding. Why didn’t Battery invest earlier?

We knew about it, but didn’t get the chance to look at it.

Do you view this as a “pre-IPO” round?

Yeah, I think so. These situations can certainly change, but the purchase of this round is to be the last one before going public.

What are most of the proceeds earmarked for?

Two things. One is to dramatically ramp up the engineering organization to keep improving product. Second is to significantly expand the sales and marketing footprint of the company. This includes international, where we need more resources overseas to expand the markets we sell into. The company is drowning in opportunities right now, and it’s a matter of getting the right salespeople in place. So this is an upfront investment to fund that, because this is a company whose salesforce historically has very high efficiency.

Outside of not executing on plan, what’s the largest challenge Blue Jeans faces?

I wish I had a more interesting answer, but it really is execution. This is a big market with obvious pain that has been artificially constrained because of how crappy the existing systems have been. All indications are that this is a really transformative business growing at an extraordinarily rapid rate with market receptiveness, so it’s really more about execution than outside factors.

Sign up for Dan’s daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers: GetTermSheet.com

About the Author
By Dan Primack
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in

Greenhouse CEO says job seekers are paying $20 to apply for every job on the hiring platform and spamming bosses—he calls it the AI doom loop
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Greenhouse CEO says job seekers are paying $20 to apply for every job on the hiring platform and spamming bosses—he calls it the AI doom loop
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 27, 2026
2 hours ago
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
RetailLuxury
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
By Sarah GlodekJuly 27, 2026
2 hours ago
Man in a polo shirt gives a thumbs up
Big TechAmazon
Amazon and Microsoft are spending $400 billion on AI—and investors are low on patience
By Amanda GerutJuly 27, 2026
2 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for July 27, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for July 27, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 27, 2026
2 hours ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for July 27, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for July 27, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 27, 2026
2 hours ago
Mortgage rates today, July 27, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, July 27, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 27, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
Economy
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 26, 2026
23 hours ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
Commentary
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
23 hours ago
Trump pulls back after Iran crosses his red line as U.S. military breaks two-week streak of airstrikes amid talks for potential Hormuz deal
Middle East
Trump pulls back after Iran crosses his red line as U.S. military breaks two-week streak of airstrikes amid talks for potential Hormuz deal
By Jason MaJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
Startups are installing tiny data centers in people’s homes to reduce strain on the beleaguered electrical grid
Environment
Startups are installing tiny data centers in people’s homes to reduce strain on the beleaguered electrical grid
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.